If you ask any long-time Christian 40 years or older what the top five all-time classic Christian films are, “Thief in the Night” would almost certainly be on their list. Russell Doughten Jr. was one of the great pioneers of Christian film. He died at the age of 86, August 19, 2013 in Carlisle, Iowa.

Track star and U.S. bobsledder Lolo Jones is the latest addition to the growing cast of the new “Left Behind” movie adapted from the fictional end times series made popular several years ago by authors Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.

Lee Daniels’ historical drama “The Butler” starring Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey topped the box office with a $25 million opening last weekend, and faith marketing to black Americans played a huge role in its success.

The 2013 Winner of the BEST FILM for the 168 Film Festival is ReMoved. The film was produced by Carpinteria, California-based Nathanael Matanick and Christina Matanick and directed by Nathanael Matanick, who also won for Best Editor and Best Make Up and Hair.

Recently my wife and I attended a decent movie when we had an encounter with a Christian woman in the lobby. Making conversation, I inquired what film she was seeing and had to conceal my cringe when she told me the title of the flick.

7/22/ 2013 – New Film Produced by Kirk Cameron and Made in Cooperation with Liberty University Gains Attention After Ban on Social Networking Site – Christian Newswire

The film gained attention on a social networking site on Thursday after fans alerted Cameron that they were blocked from posting links to the film’s website, unstoppablethemovie.com. Cameron announced on his own fan page on the social networking site that the company had blocked links because the content was labeled “abusive and unsafe.”

7/17/2013 – Where Are the Christian Bankrollers for Christian Films? – Examiner Article

I watched a great illustration sermon the other day on Youtube. Francis Chan, one of my favorites explained the relationship of our lifetime to eternity and questioned our choices in fulfilling temporal wants.

As previously reported, New Zealand-born evangelist Ray Comfort has released several influential films and documentaries in the past, including 180—a 2011 movie about abortion that has received several million views. His latest project, Evolution vs. God, features interviews with several well-known evolutionist professors who struggle to provide observational evidence supporting evolutionary theory.

On Monday, Rick Santorum, a former U.S. senator and 2012 GOP presidential candidate, provided further details about his new position as CEO of EchoLight Studios, a faith-based movie company. Following the announcement, TheBlaze interviewed the politician and businessman via telephone to speak further about his career — and his vision for Christian-themed entertainment.

There was an interesting article on the CNN belief blog yesterday. It’s about the marketing effort Warner Bros. is making toward pastors in an effort to get them to help market their new Superman franchise entry Man of Steel, via their pulpits this Father’s Day. I would love to get my hands on the study guide by theologian, writer/filmmaker Craig Detweiler. I took Craig’s theology and film class a few years back. It was the best sustained conversation about theology and culture I’ve ever had.

The release this week of the movie “This Is the End” coupled with Hollywood’s intensifying love affair with apocalyptic-type films gave some pastors in the Staten Island, N.Y.-area a chance to answer a local reporter’s question, “Why the fascination?”

Two small-budget films, “A Matter of Faith” and “Dogman 2: Wrath of the Litter,” have been approved for Michigan film incentives.

“A Matter of Faith” was given the OK for approximately $106,000 in incentives on $377,000 in projected Michigan spending. It involves a college student exploring the creation vs. evolution debate and is set to film at locations in the Grand Rapids area, including at Cornerstone University, a Christian college, and Aquinas College, a Catholic liberal arts school.

Mark Burnett, creator of popular TV shows such as “Celebrity Apprentice,” “Shark Tank,” “Survivor,” “The Voice” and most recently the 10-part miniseries “The Bible,” has revealed that the upcoming movie version of his biblical epic will be over 2 hours long and focus more on the story of Jesus Christ.

6/6/2013 – The Christian Filmmaker and Bringing Faith to the Big Screen

Dean Wright, director of the 2012 film For Greater Glory, made his first movie as a boy attending grammar school in Scottsdale, Arizona. He did it for a school project, and received an “A” for his efforts. He was immediately drawn to the process of telling stories on film, and knew that moviemaking would be his life’s work

Sky Angel is excited to announce that the Sky Angel Faith Everywhere package is now available on Roku® streaming players. Offering more than thirty of America’s premier faith-based channels and free family-friendly Video on Demand, the low-cost service can now be accessed by more than five million Roku customers.

However, the most curious phenomenon set to return in the coming years takes an even greater leap back through the history of cinema, and that of civilization itself. Several big name directors and actors are currently attempting to push through projects based on the most bankable source material of them all – The Bible.

6/3/2013 – TELEVISION IS LOOKING UP – GMC TV CHANGES ITS NAME TO UP ENTERTAINMENT – Christian Cinema Article

At the stroke of midnight as the calendar turns to June 1, GMC TV will begin writing the latest chapter in its evolution as America’s leading television destination for uplifting entertainment when the network changes its name to UP. The fresh, new name will better communicate a clear sense of the network’s unique brand position, which has always been, and will continue to be, “Uplifting Entertainment.”

I’ve discovered that while many filmmakers have embraced social media, most have yet to discover and take advantage of all that is available. Facebook, twitter, and pinterest are the most popular, with facebook definitely being the most useful for filmmakers.

Delivering a nonjudgmental ethnographic portrait of what many Americans might dismiss as “trailer trash,” Italian director Roberto Minervini’s “Stop the Pounding Heart” depicts a segment of Texas society where guns, livestock and the Holy Bible rank as the most important priorities in life. Likely to prove most interesting to foreign auds, this rural, documentary-like portrait reunites two faces familiar from Minervini’s previous films: Sara Carlson, teen daughter of the goat-farming family seen in “The Passage,” and bull-riding Colby Trichell, who appeared in “Low Tide.”

Some people will do almost anything to make it in Hollywood – my friend Jason even set himself on fire. Granted, he was enrolled in a stunt acting class and someone blasted him with a fire extinguisher within seconds, but still… He then printed up dozens of 8×10 photos of himself engulfed in flames, and while they may have gotten him an A for effort, they never landed him a job.

Production is set to begin this summer on the first evangelistic silent feature film since sound was added to picture. “The Good Book” is the story of a New Testament that finds its way into the hands of seven strangers and provides hope during their struggles.

When Trinity Broadcasting Network first signed on the air May 28, 1973, on a tiny, barely functioning low-power station we had recently acquired in Southern California, my wife, Jan, and I had no idea how to “do” Christian television.

5/20/2013 – Kendrick brothers to launch independent production company

Believing God is leading them to mentor the next generation of Christian filmmakers, Alex and Stephen Kendrick—best known for being the writers, director and producer behind “Courageous,” “Fireproof” and “Facing the Giants”—are moving in a “new direction” and are launching their own independent production company.

Usually my last question for those I interview goes something like this: Got a question you wish I would have asked? That’s when the interview becomes the most interesting, or the most revealing. And by Erin Bethea’s sincerity, I was convinced that the actress’s true desire is to serve Christ and to honor others who further the Kingdom of God.

5/17/2013 – Making movies: Dean Wright on his faith and work in visual effects

Dean Wright is a director, visual effects and special effects supervisor in Hollywood who has worked on films like Titanic, The Lord of The Rings, and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. He is also a committed Christian and is trying to raise funds to develop more family-orientated films in an industry dominated by sci-fi

Ever thought you could improve on the Christian Media Market, but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, I’ve created a handy “starter kit” to help you along, complete with 11 GREAT plot ideas for new Christian films, books and magazines! Check them out:

After two decades of false starts and near misses, the director can now look forward to shooting his long-gestating adaptation of Japanese novelist Shusaku Endo’s novel next summer. Scorsese not only has secured the financing he needed and a production greenlight for June 2014, he’s landed a coveted leading man: “The Amazing Spider-Man’s” Andrew Garfield.

Modeled after Pinterest, The Churchyard allows users to ‘pin’ content to boards they create and allows users to create and manage collections of photos, videos, websites, etc. Users can browse other boards for content, ‘re-pin’ images to their own boards, or ‘like’ other users content. It connects users based on shared interests and allows users to ‘follow’ other users.

GOODNESS REIGNS, Inc. announced today the top winners of its 2013 faith-based short film contest while also launching its People’s Choice Voting Campaign giving all viewers a chance to pick their favorite submissions.

On May 3rd, Iron Man 3 will come to theaters following the 2012 megahit, The Avengers. The recent success of Superhero movies has been fueled in part by Christian viewers, including Adam Graham, the author of the Fly Another Day, which was released by Laser & Sword Books in March.

4/27/2013 – The Top Christian Movies of All Time – Top Christian Movies

Which movies are the top Christian movies of all time? It depends partly upon your definition of what a Christian movie is. Must a Christian movie be made by Christians, about Christians, and for Christians?

4/26/2013 – Terrence Malick’s moving Christian message — and film critics’ failure to engage with it

Christianity gets a lot of bad press, much of it richly deserved. Evangelical Protestants have been making a decisive contribution to anti-intellectualism in American life for a long time now, and today they continue to produce more than their share of creationist claptrap and sentimentalist kitsch. Catholics, for their part, often do little better, with leading clerics and lay intellectuals fixated on policing sexual morals and seemingly eager to treat the church as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Republican Party.

“The Bible” is one of the most popular miniseries of all time, and is now being made into a 3-hour movie by producer Mark Burnett. The show is being reconstructed into a new movie that will hopefully be released in the fall of 2013.

4/22/2013 – Filming Begins on New Jim Caviezel Movie, When The Game Stands Tall

CBN.com – New Orleans, Louisiana (April 22, 2013) – Principal photography begins today in New Orleans on the inspirational high school football movie When The Game Stands Tall about a visionary coach who led a struggling football team to unparalleled national record-breaking success by teaching them to stand for something greater than winning. Produced by Mandalay for Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA) and its AFFIRM Films division, When The Game Stands Tall is slated for a fall 2014 release.

4/19/2013 – Home Run Advances Christian Filmmaking a Base or Two – Crosswalk Article

Elrod does an excellent job as Cory, making him likeable even when he’s being a jerk, which is often. He’s got just the right loveable gleam in his bad-boy eye and the good looks to back up his superstar ballplayer status. His journey to redemption is neither easy nor quick (kudos, producers, for keeping it as real as possible) but he keeps the audience firmly on his side and on the side of his little leaguers.

The movie business has never been healthier, except that attendance in North America is down 12 percent so far this year compared to last. There was a plea for fewer R-rated movies, followed by chest-thumping from Universal Pictures about its crude comedy “Ted.”

Hollywood movie critic and author Theodore “Ted” Baehr came to Columbia this week with the hope of persuading Christian parents and children they have a moral obligation to take on the popular culture moguls who traffic in sex and violence in movies, video games and online entertainment.

Oprah Winfrey hosted Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, the producers behind the hit miniseries “The Bible” on The History Channel, on her show Oprah’s Next Chapter on Sunday, where the couple spoke about the resemblance between President Obama and the actor who played Satan.

Dove Award-winning and Grammy nominated singer Kari Jobe said she decided to endorse the movie “Not Today,” that opens this weekend, with a song because of her passion to fight human trafficking – ministry work that she has been involved with for the last six years.

4/10/2013 – The Bible and Hollywood’s Faith in Religious Films – The Century Christian Article

The Bible miniseries finished this Easter with the grand finale of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. Overall it drew more than 30 million viewers, the History Channel’s largest-ever audience. It’s considered a triumph for “in your face” faith films. With a possible sequel (and the current batch of Bible-based films currently in production), The Bible may represent a modern resurrection of Bible-oriented cinema.

4/8/2013 – The Television Event of the Year Shatters Home Entertainment Records – Reuters Article

LOS ANGELES, April 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — The epic miniseries, THE BIBLE, continues its unprecedented success with its home entertainment launch and quickly became the biggest selling TV on DVD in the last 5 years and the biggest miniseries of all time on Blu-ray, Digital HD and DVD in its first week of release. THE BIBLE series is flying off store shelves around the country with 525,000 units sold.

New ratings reports indicate that not only did the History Channel’s “The Bible” miniseries reach near-record breaking viewership in its final week, it also managed to edge out AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” a drama series about zombies that is considered to be the miniseries’ top competition ratings-wise.

In spite of the raging success of The Bible series on The History Channel, there are still Christian critics of recent efforts by Hollywood to produce Christian themed movies and TV programming. I was in a meeting recently where we discussed the record breaking audience for “The Bible” series, and one well-meaning Christian in the group said, “But it’s SO inaccurate!” Every time a project like The Blind Side, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Bible, The Book of Eli, and others come out, a group of Christians take an issue with the theology, doctrine, or portrayals in the film. In most cases, the complainers are well meaning, but in spite of inaccuracies or doctrinal issues, here’s why I think we need to support these projects:

3/25/2013 – EXCLUSIVE: This Actress May Join Nicolas Cage in Christian Film Reboot of ‘Left Behind’ – The Blaze Article

Back in October, TheBlaze first told you about the re-boot of the buzz-worthy “Left Behind” movie that is on its way. As you may know, the popular Christian-themed book and film series tackled the Rapture and other Biblical themes.

The personal life of Tim Tebow off the field is perhaps one of the most spotlighted fascinations in the NFL. With an unwavering Faith in God, it seems likely that Tebow will continue to pop up in various places for years to come no matter what comes of his football career. According to a TMZ report dated Monday, March 25, acting in a Christian film just may end up being his latest venture.

“Since’s it’s just fables and myths, why does anyone care?” or “Just when I thought we’d eradicated the Bible from the culture, it seems more popular than ever.” Those were just two of the responses I heard from shocked reporters. So I asked Jonathan Bock, a key member of the marketing team that promoted the series about its success, and he pointed out three important keys:

Last year Patricia Binkley’s biggest activity was deciding which songs her children’s choir would sing. This year her schedule is filled with movie screenings, speaking engagements, and autograph signings. As the star of “Flowers for Fannie”, Mrs. Binkley is finding herself a celebrity in her local community of Springfield, TN. Now, her fame is spreading. She’s nominated for “Best Actress in a Feature Film” at the Bare Bones International Film Festival in Muskogee, Oklahoma.

3/23/2013 – Will Hollywood Write ‘The Bible’ TV Film Series Off as a Fluke? – CP Article

The fact that the History Channel’s The Bible series has reached more than 68 million viewers in just three episodes is not a fluke despite what a large majority of the Hollywood entertainment industry may be thinking, says a film developer and marketer who should know.

The History Channel’s “The Bible” miniseries once again maintained steady ratings this past Sunday night as it featured its third episode, delving into the Bible’s New Testament and introducing Jesus, played by actor Diogo Morgado.

Academy Award-winning actor Christian Bale is set to become the latest Hollywood A-lister to take on a biblical epic after reports state that he is being lined up to play Moses in director Ridley Scott’s upcoming movie.

Two highly motivated, Christian based websites have teamed up to increase economic leverage and social media exposure for Christian filmmakers and actors. “That is our primary goal with Christian Film Database,” FaithLauncher Founder and CEO, Fernando Chavez, stated. “This is a globally influential industry and, in 2013, several independent, mainstream films made it to the Oscars through benchmark crowdfunding successes. We are more confident than ever that our alliance with CFDb will help escalate the presence of Christian movies.”

3/12/2013 – Blockbuster Miniseries Inspires ‘Light the Way: The Bible’ Facebook Game; Play on iPads and iPhone to Follow

Light the Way: The Bible from Lightside Games is the companion game for the History Channel’s highly anticipated series The Bible. Light the Way: The Bible features illustrations of biblical stories with images and music from The Bible film series by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey. This is Lightside’s third biblical game for Facebook. Light the Way: The Bible players search for hidden objects, solve puzzles and find differences in side-by-side scene comparisons. They can keep score and share their progress. Launching soon will be a version of Light the Way: The Bible for the iPads and iPhone platform, the first biblically inspired game for those mobile devices.

‘Not Today‘, an award winning movie that tackles human trafficking, is set to open in several major markets across America next month, with a mission to raise awareness about one of the most critical problems the world faces today.

At the time, Burnett gushed about shooting the series. “I really believe what I’m going to tell you right now,” he said. “The hand of God was on this…. the edit came together perfectly, the actors came together perfectly, it just comes to life.” But Burnett wasn’t just speaking about how well the practicalities of production had gone. “Weird things happened during filming,” he said. “Everybody would look at each other like, “Whoa.”

3/1/2013 – 2013 NRB Convention & Exposition includes the best of Christian film – Examiner Article

March 2-5 marks the 2013 National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) Convention & Exhibition where thousands of Christian media and ministry professionals gather at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, TN. This four day convention encompasses leaders and professionals from all areas of media.

2/26/2013 – God’s Sequel to the Passion of the Christ: Interview with David Wood – Sonoma Christian Home Magazine Article

Jesus. There’s something about that name. His life and death have been poignantly portrayed in many movies. It is a vision from God that has recently stirred the heart of David Wood, a 30-year veteran in Hollywood, to beautifully portray in film, Jesus’ life following His resurrection.

Read More Soon… (This article was temporarily taken down – will put the link up again once it’s up)

If seeing is believing then the teaser poster released by Stoney Lake Entertainment for its “Left Behind” movie reboot should settle once and for all any doubts about actor Nicolas Cage taking on a role in the film based on the 16-part Christian book series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.

The Game Show Network has announced a new lineup of competitors for a second season of “The American Bible Challenge” on Monday. Hosted by Jeff Foxworthy, the popular television series tests competitors on their knowledge of the Bible. The new contestants will have the chance to win money toward their favorite charity on the game show.

More than 1,800 participants from around the world were on hand in the Alamo City for the presentation of the Jubilee Awards during closing ceremonies at the 8th Annual San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival (SAICFF), held at the Lila Cockrell Theatre in downtown San Antonio last Saturday night. An additional 5,000-plus registered users tuned in via the web to watch the free live broadcast of the event.

Over the years, Wesscott Marketing and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) have explored the possibility of converting some of the classic World Wide Pictures films (formally the motion picture division of BGEA) onto DVD. That time has finally arrived and over the course of this year ten dramatic films will come out of the vaults to once again be enjoyed by viewers throughout North America.

“I think this movie has a great story of hope and redemption for everyone,” said Katie Harris, Missions Team Leader for the Greater Cleveland County Baptist Association, who got a sneak preview of the upcoming film. “Though the movie focuses on alcoholism, the entire story is about God’s redeeming love for us. It shows that no matter what we are going through or what we have done, God will forgive us and help us change our life.”

The 2013 Texas Christian Film Festival will be honoring Houstonian Jeannette Clift George with their first Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in Christian Films including her Golden Globe nominated performance in “The Hiding Place.” The presentation will be made during the screening of “The Hiding Place” on Saturday February 16, 2013.

Hollywood’s horizon for the Christian genre is on fire. There are at least 8 movies possibly set to release that are Christian based. However controversial some of them may end up being like Paul Verhoeven’s “Jesus of Nazareth” which is probable to be the most contested Christian film since Martin Scorsese’s “The Last Temptation of Christ.” There are some very mainstream names involved in these upcoming new releases such as Ridley Scott, Steven Speilberg, Darren Aronofsky, Mel Gibson, Russell Crowe, and even potentially Brad Pitt. Enjoy the countdown of the top 8 prospects for the Christian film genre.

1/24/2013 – Interview: Actress on New Film about Life’s Choices, Abortion, and Faith by The Christian Post.

Actress Jenn Gotzon, who made her Hollywood breakthrough in the film “Frost/Nixon” portraying the president’s daughter, Tricia Nixon, is in Washington, D.C., this week to help present two screenings of the movie “Doonby.” The screenings of the mystery film with an underlying message about life’s choices are intentionally timed to coincide with the March for Life and the 40th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade case.

1/23/2013 – Watch the 2013 Christian Filmmakers Academy From Your Own Living Room!

Featuring three days of formal instruction from Christian filmmakers, including Fireproof and Courageous co-creator and producer Stephen Kendrick, for years the Christian Filmmakers Academy has helped train many of the filmmakers who have won prestigious awards at the annual San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival.

This list is not a list of films released in 2012 but rather a list of the most viewed films on CFDb between January 1, 2012 and December 25, 2012. The point of this list is to show what the most popular films were in 2012 no matter when they were released.

The string of hits kept their fans thirsting for more, beginning with Flywheel: The Movie in 2003, and progressing to Facing the Giants in 2006, Fireproof in 2008, and Courageous in 2011. Rarely resting between the release of one hit and the writing and filming of the next, the brothers have decided to break with tradition and step away from filmmaking for a season.

It’s our third day of announcing our nominees for the first-ever Plugged In Movie Awards. On Tuesday we rolled out our picks for Best Movie for Kids. Yesterday it was Best Movie for Teens. Today we’re looking at the category of Best Christian Movie released in 2012.

“In many ways it’s the perfect story,” filmmaker and media consultant Phil Cooke, who has worked on a number of Christian projects in Hollywood, told The Christian Post in an email. “This is the kind of movie Christians should be supporting, taking their friends to, and then discussing afterwards.”

Ashley Tisdale has signed up for Left Behind, which is being toplined by Nicolas Cage. The actress, who stars in the upcoming Scary Movie 5, will play Chloe Steele, the daughter of Cage’s Ray Steele character. After millions of people suddenly disappear from Earth, Chloe wanders America looking to find any remaining members of her family.

1/3/2013 – Targeting ‘Les Miserables’ to Christians pays off at the box office

In spite of tepid reviews from some film critics, “Les Miserables” is booming at the box office, and that financial success can in part be traced to a group of its biggest boosters: Christians, particularly evangelicals whom NBC Universal went after with a microtargeted marketing strategy.

Chad Michael Murray (“One Tree Hill”) is in negotiations to join Nicolas Cage in Left Behind, reports Deadline. He would be playing the role of journalist Cameron “Buck” Williams in the thriller. Cage is playing Rayford in the remake of the Christian-themed movie franchise. The project comes from Stoney Lake Entertainment, the new production company led by Paul Lalonde of Cloud Ten Pictures.

Jean Valjean was a thief. He broke parole, evaded the law, lied, and assumed several false identities over the course of his life. And, according to Hugh Jackman, he is “one of the great literary characters” and a personal hero of Jackman’s

Origin Entertainment has officially optioned the film rights for the spiritual classic autobiography A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken. The rights, which were acquired for an unreported sum from Harper-Collins Publishers, signal Origin’s intent to begin development on the film as early as January 2013.

The Jackson metro area will be the setting for a faith based film set in 2040. Casting is underway for the post apocalyptic tale at the Cabot Lodge in Ridgeland. “Jackson just seemed to be the place because you guys have an amazing tax incentive and the fact that it’s also a cash incentive, and it turned out that you have more than ample locations in what we were looking for,” said Film Producer Patrick Werksma.

Redeeming Love, one of the best-selling Christian fiction books of all time (over 1 million sold) and the career of one of the most gifted authors in the Christian arena, began with a simple invitation from an eight year old boy to Francine Rivers. He simply knocked on her door and said, “Have I got a church for you!” Little did he know Francine’s marriage was crumbling, and her life was in disarray. She reluctantly accepted his kind invitation, and the rest of the story has benefitted the world.

But that doesn’t mean The Hobbit should be taken as a kind of subliminally evangelistic work. Brown, for one, will enjoy the film for its own sake as a terrific adventure. But, he said, understanding the work in the context of Tolkien’s deep Christian faith can give a deeper appreciation of the tale.

Fifteen days ahead of Christmas, a film on Jesus Christ was released in the state capital on Sunday. Titled “Khristayan”, the six hour long film has been directed by Fr Geo George from Indore. The film is likely to be telecast in parts as a TV serial in the coming days.

You know the most wonderful time of the year has arrived when “All I Want for Christmas Is You” dominates the airwaves, the temperature seems to drop by 10 degrees a day and Fox News gears up to combat the so-called “war on Christmas” that apparently plagues toy stores and cinemas across the country. As bank account balances plummet and heating bills skyrocket, we can at least find solace in what the PC police have dubbed “holiday movies,” which either serve as a rare reminder of the “reason for the season” or as a dose of outrageousness and hilarity.

Camera crews, wires and walkie-talkies are becoming an ever-growing trend on campus. Camera crews visited campus Monday to shoot scenes for a low-budget, Christian film titled “God’s Not Dead,” and Hollywood touched campus last week to film the University’s annual rodeo for the flick “Dallas Buyers Club.”

11/18/2012 – Could The Future Of Media Publishing Stocks Be Tied To Religion Based-Content

Could The Future Of Media Publishing Stocks Be Tied To Religion Based-Content (NASDAQ: SCHL) and (OTCQB: TRLI). Publishers and media firms have long known that the successful sale of any content produced – books, DVDs, movies – largely depended on the attraction it has with viewers and readers.Sex and violence still sell in mainstream media. Hollywood makes few family movies anymore. As Senior Writer for CNN Money Paul R. La Monica pointed out in an article several years ago, many moviegoers have often been scared of religious based movies. However blockbuster titles such as Chronicles of Narnia, who are heavily based on Christian allegories, turned out to be a major hit.The Passion Of The Christ, released in 2004 showed similar success despite quite a lot of negative feedback and some rather divided reviews and backlash from religious communities.

In 2014, Russell Crowe will be starring in Darren Aronofsky’s film adaptation of Noah’s Ark. The film is intended to be a “Biblical Epic,” along the lines of The Ten Commandments and Ben-Hur and boasts a star-studded cast including Emma Watson and Anthony Hopkins alongside Crowe. While Biblical films of the past have stayed fairly accurate to the original texts, Noah is drawing flack from Christians in Hollywood who claim that it depicts Noah as more of a preservationist tree-hugger than a religious figure. People such as screenwriter Brian Godawa are severely disappointed after reading the script, claiming that the film portrays Noah as an, “environmentalist wacko,” and a, “vegan, hippy-like gatherer of herbs.”

Filming “Courageous” and the three previous movies produced by Sherwood Pictures in Albany, Ga., is the story of learning to totally depend on God, according to Alex Kendrick, founder of the film company at Sherwood Baptist Church.

December 2012 will begin the introduction of three new movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy adventure “The Hobbit.” Undoubtedly, there will be numerous books written and designed to give insight into Tolkien’s message in the story of Bilbo Baggins and his band of dwarves. One that should not be ignored is “The Christian World of The Hobbit” by professor Devin Brown.

This is for all the filmmakers, musicians and writers out there − even if only aspiring − that are trying to solve the age-old dilemma of reconciling their creative yearnings with their faith, or probably better put, their religious beliefs.

The Resurrection Project gladly supports Christian Film Database as they are the library of Christian films. The Database holds movies, documentaries, and cartoons. In 2011 Roger Rudlaff and his wife Annelie turned their website Christianfilmdatabase.com into a database company and continue to add new content every day.

Filmmaker and media consultant Phil Cooke said it’s time for Christians to show Hollywood movie executives that movies of high quality and moral standards are in large demand by attending such movies, preferably on opening night, in high numbers.

Speaking to fledgling movie industry types attending a workshop at the San Diego Christian Film Festival, Mark Joseph told part of the story of how “Facing the Giants” became a box office success. The film about an underdog high school football team, and issues of faith in God, was made for $100,000. Volunteers from Sherwood Baptist Church were cast in supporting roles. Joseph helped market the film, but said one of the keys to the movie’s $11 million in sales was letting a reporter know that there was a controversy over the film’s initial PG-13 rating.

According to educator and writer Henry Russell, is no accident; the themes have always been there — and they were intentionally woven into the story by Tolkien, a professor at the University of Oxford, when he sat down and began writing the works in 1937 as an adult sequel to his popular 1937 children’s book “The Hobbit,” which Jackson will bring to the screen as a new trilogy of films starting in December.

11/09/2012 – The End Is Always with Us: The 40th Anniversary of “A Thief in the Night”

I hadn’t heard the song that opens the 1972 Christian apocalyptic film A Thief in the Night in decades, and my impression of it was: slow, dull, bizarre, not catchy at all. I watched the first five minutes on YouTube, through the church meeting where an early-era praise band sings “I Wish We’d All Been Ready.” The song, which was one of the first contemporary Christian pop hits, describes the terrible things that will take place during the end times, with a refrain that laments, “there’s no time to change your mind/the Son has come and you’ve been left behind.” As I watched, I could not help but laugh at the film’s campy quality and poor acting. Then I turned it off, and I could not get the song out of my head. The hypnotic rhythms lodged themselves in my brain and there I was, making a piece of toast, with the refrain repeating itself relentlessly.

11/09/2012 – San Diego Christian Film Festival Part of Raising Standard in Movies

Hoping to strengthen a community of Christian filmmakers interested in bringing about a positive change in the types of movies coming out of Hollywood, more than 100 film industry experts are expected to attend the third annual San Diego Christian Film Festival this weekend, said a lead organizer of the event.

A new movie entitled “Little Red Wagon” addresses this subject of one child making a difference. This little-film-that-could takes on the cause with courage and resolve. That said, it’s not so much the film I wish to discuss here, but rather the family behind the Little Red Wagon Foundation.

The investigation was initiated at the request of Viktor Grin, deputy general prosecutor, who claims the film “insults the feeling of millions of [Christian] believers and has a negative impact on public morals.”

It’s billed as a “Biblical epic” but a Christian screenwriter in Hollywood who has had a chance to read the script for “Noah” says there’s a good chance that the movie, which is still in production, will be far from the truth of the Gospel.

Both theologians and management consultants like to point out that it wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark. They’re right, of course. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said of the Darren Aronofsky-directed film, Noah, scheduled to release in 2014. The forthcoming movie starring Russell Crowe and Emma Watson was forced to suspend production in both Brooklyn and on Long Island earlier this week due to the arrival of Hurricane Sandy.

Supporters are literally racing to help promote the inspiring faith film UNDAUNTED: THE EARLY LIFE OF JOSH McDOWELL, which launched on DVD this month. NASCAR team MacDonald Motorsports; author and film producer Jeff Elliott; and film distributor EchoLight Studios team with Josh McDowell Ministry to highlight the film at Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at the Texas Motor Speedway with on-car promotion, DVD giveaways and special appearances by McDowell with drivers and race fans.

10/31/2012 – Halloween – a Missed Opportunity for Religious Television

Today is not only Halloween, it is the anniversary of the day the Protestant Reformation began. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted his thesis on the Wittenberg Door protesting the selling of indulgences and other abuses in the Catholic Church.

Greg Vaughn, President & Founder of Grace Products, and producer of the nationally acclaimed “Letters from Dad” project, has some great news. A generous donor, whose life was radically changed by participating in “Letters from Dad”, has sponsored a grant to offer up to 1,000 sets of the Leadership & Training Kit to qualifying churches. There is but one catch: the qualifying church must actually “use” it.

The story of the 2008 football game between juvenile correction facility Gainesville State School and Faith Christian will feature former offensive tackle Jeff Olson and former linebacker Kris Gardner.

The Executive Producers involved with the Resurrection Project also made an appearance and talked at a workshop to explain strategies in Hollywood. This is God’s project and is led by Him alone. The Executive Producers involved working on the project look to serve Christ and move with the Lord. The Resurrection Project’s vision is to bring people from around the world to view the power of the resurrection of Christ into the house of every country, city and town. Millions will be saved with the truth of Christ shown with beautiful artistic work.

Unconditional, starring Golden Globe nominated actor Michael Ealy and Lynn Collins, has been added as a part of the screening lineup at the American Film Market (AFM). Hosted by Mission Pictures International (MPI), Unconditional will be shown alongside other inspirational dramas including the box office hit October Baby and Last Ounce of Courage. AFM will take place Wednesday, Oct. 31 through Tuesday, Nov. 6 at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel in Santa Monica, Calif.

Presented by Gigapix Releasing and Movie to Movement, The Miracle of Marcelino, will be introduced to American audiences for the first time, this weekend on October 26th. The Miracle of Marcelino gained acclaim from the world renown Dove Foundation for its family friendly content. The heart-warming drama will open in limited theaters beginning in Norwalk, Calif. at the AMC Norwalk 20. Last year, the captivating Spanish drama was presented at the 2011 Mirabile Dictu-International Catholic Film Festival where it took home the award for “Best Director” (Ladislao Vajda).

The new movie “Unconditional” is a powerful tale of loss and renewal. It shows the sobering effects of crime on both victims and criminals, but it also shows how their lives can be transformed, even when everything seems hopeless. And it clearly demonstrates that God is the one who transforms those lives.

“I have had great fear, but my fear isn’t of the failure of the project. It’s looking back later having done nothing. It’s a very serious fear. The fear of not making a meaningful contribution, of being insignificant, of looking back [and thinking] that I didn’t step up. I am honestly petrified of that, or I was, and my pain of feeling like I let myself down, my family down, and not taking the risk to do it was far greater than the pleasure of being calm,” said Burnett.

10/20/2012 – Nicolas Cage Will Lead Reboot Of The Christian Left Behind Series

Nicolas Cage, the Oscar winner and famous crazy person, has spent a solid 10 years of his career being completely unpredictable, taking on only the movies that seemed the most unlikely, the wildest, the most doomed for obscurity if it weren’t for his name attached. But I truly, truly don’t think he’s ever surprised us as deeply as he has today, with reports that he’s set to lead a reboot of the Left Behind series.

Films are a big part of the Biola community. This university attracts many aspiring filmmakers because of its mission to make truly great films that contain a Christian worldview. Biola’s film program hosted the Searching For Soul Film Festival on Oct. 13. The festival consisted of three movies, two documentaries and one feature film, “Cold Souls,” which starred Oscar award-winning actor Paul Giamatti.

10/17/2012 – Indie featuring ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ star, local actor to film in Wilmington

“Adrenaline,” an independent, faith-based film about a street racer, will film in Wilmington this fall, according to producer Del Baron. Local actor, comedian and illusionist, Michael Rosander, founder of No Sleeves Magic, will star as drag racer Joseph Jenkins, in the faith-based action film. John Schneider (“The Dukes of Hazzard,” “Smallville”) also has been cast.

Hollywood may have a well-deserved reputation for being a spiritual wasteland, but faith is hardly absent from Tinseltown. The following 12 Hollywood powerhouses are at the top of their game in movies or TV and are unabashed about proclaiming their Christian beliefs. And they’re far from the exception. We chose them from dozens of candidates, in consultation with insiders and observers who are part of the Christian-Hollywood scene. Those who made the Beliefnet Power Dozen are here because they have the clout to choose their career direction, while keeping their faith and even injecting it into their work in subtle or not-so-subtle ways.

10/15/2012 – SAICFF Announces $250000 Opportunity for Winner of Short Film Jubilee Award

Don’t let the length of a film deceive you. Short films sometimes require checks with a long stream of digits to make. If you’re a filmmaker, it’s always nice when you’re the one receiving those checks rather than giving them out, and some resourceful filmmaker will be doing just that come next February.

10/12/2012 – Final Film in the Acclaimed Finger of God/Furious Love Trilogy FATHER OF LIGHTS Available on DVD October 15

Filmmaker Darren Wilson and Wanderlust Productions are preparing for the DVD release of FATHER OF LIGHTS, the epic conclusion in their Finger of God/Furious Love trilogy, on October 15. These beloved documentaries have built a loyal global fanbase as they delve into the mystery of God, through the eyes of the faithful in all corners of the world.

How many good films have ever been made on the subject of Christian missions and missionaries?

For many years, I have dearly loved the 1944 film The Keys of the Kingdom, based on the 1941 novel by A. J. Cronin. In more recent years, though, as I studied global Christianity, it occurred to me what a treasure the film is, and how often it runs against contemporary stereotypes. It does a lovely job of portraying the American vision of missions at its most exalted and optimistic, but in a way that pays full respect to the people on the receiving end of missionary efforts. It thus makes for a superb teaching resource.

The current production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” that’s touring the United Kingdom will be able to be seen without a plane ticket. “Jesus Christ Superstar UK Rock Spectacular” will be shown at hundreds of movie theaters across America on Oct. 29 and again on Nov. 1. The show was recorded on Oct. 4-5 in Birmingham, England.

Goliath Film and Media Holdings Inc. is pleased to announce that it has acquired a catalog of seventeen faith based films. Historically, faith based films have been one of the leading categories of films based on investment returns.

10/6/2012 – Rich Copley: Asbury professor featured in film about apostle Paul

The Polite Bribe, a new documentary to be screened Thursday in Lexington, portrays Paul as a controversial figure caught in a conflict between early Jewish-based Christians and Gentile Christians who were not open to Judaism’s traditions.

“Rogue Saints,” the latest installment from Word Films, is set to release October 16 on DVD. The multi-award-winning, faith-based film is the directorial debut of esteemed interactive graphics designer Adam Lubanski. “Rogue Saints” is a roller coaster of drama, comedy, adventure and romance that ultimately leads to the discovery of a whole different kind of treasure.

David Dginguerian had a lot of things going well in his life: a successful marriage to a model and actress and a string of successful business endeavors as an entrepreneur. But he and his wife, Amy Weber, both wanted children, and doctors had told them that was impossible.

My Christian Films (MCF) is excited to announce the launching of its’ new International Christian Film Festival. Amateurs and professionals alike are invited to join in the competition by submitting their films before March 31, 2013.

Jim Schmidt, a Los Angeles-based film producer and award-winning actor who has been in films such as Billy Graham’s “The Climb,” and the 1980s film “Super Christian,” signed on to co-produce “Trade of Innocents” after being approached by the Bolthouses.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the cinematic return of the biblical epic is at hand. Russell Crowe will star in Noah, with a 148-foot ark, copious animals, and a $125 million budget. Steven Spielberg is in talks to direct Gods and Kings about Moses, Warner Bros. secured a script about Pontius Pilate, and 20th Century Fox is having Ridley Scott direct Exodus. Sony is developing The Redemption of Cain, while Lionsgate will distribute Mary, Mother of Christ, promoted as a prequel to the highly-successful The Passion of the Christ. Why?

There are apps for all kinds of things, from fun and games to traveling. But the Jesus Film Project has developed an app to help people share the Gospel. Jesus Film Media is a free app providing Android and iOS phone users with access to the complete library of the Jesus Film Project.

10/2/2012 – Premiere of film on manuscript referring to ‘Jesus’s wife’ delayed over academic skepticism

The premiere of a Smithsonian Channel documentary on a papyrus fragment purporting to show Jesus referring to his wife has been axed amid doubts over its authenticity. Research about the fourth-century papyrus fragment was released last month by Harvard Divinity School professor Karen King.

Don Meyer didn’t hesitate when asked which actor he thought should portray him in an upcoming movie about his life. “One willing to have their leg cut off about halfway through the movie,” said Meyer, who is 67 and had 923 career wins. “You’ve got to want it pretty bad to do that.” Sounds like a tough role.

Welcome to the Hotel Transylvania. According to the movie’s tagline, it’s where monsters go “to get away from it all.” But what about humans who pay to see this substandard animated tale? With due respect to the Eagles, are we allowed to “check out anytime we like?”

Lured by public-domain source material and epic adventure stories ripe for big-time special effects, studios and filmmakers are rediscovering the Good Book; Russell Crowe as Noah. When it sets sail in the coming film “Noah,” a massive 148-foot wooden ark will carry not only a slew of zoo animals, but one of Hollywood’s biggest wagers in years.

Denver pastor and author (of 27 books!) Sun Hui East is introducing Strong Foundation Films, a film production company devoted to faith-based movies. Her desire is to offer “visual sermons” for both Christians and non-Christians alike.

Catholic groups in India have called for a protest over an upcoming Hindi film if scenes portraying believers and clergy in an offensive manner are not removed from the film, reports the Catholic News Agency.

The film opens with reflections on September 11th, including a ten-year anniversary memorial event at the site. And as would be expected, the infamous picketers from Westboro Baptist Church were there, complete with signs bearing slogans like “Thank God for 9/11″ an, of course, “God Hates Fags.” The movie progresses to, let’s say, more educated points of view, focusing more on the front end on those who advocate for a real hell that is populated with innumerable souls experiencing eternal conscious torment.

What German wants to defend WWII or National Socialism or Hitler? Most people stuck with the most insane parts of their history are glad to move on. So you have to wonder what’s wrong with a “Christian” publication so attached to hell that they have to smear a great new movie — even lie about it — to make a pro-hell point.

Remember when “faith-based film” equaled “cheesy?” That label was blown away with such films as “Passion of the Christ” and “Courageous,” and it certainly doesn’t apply to the latest movie that is being marketed to churches and that opens Friday — “Unconditional.”

How can a loving God send people, even bad people, to a place of eternal torment? A new documentary struggles with questions of punishment and redemption and how culture affects and shapes Christian beliefs about God and the Bible. Coming in the wake of controversy over Rob Bell’s 2011 hell-questioning book “Love Wins,” which put hell on the cover of Time magazine, and treading some of the same ground, filmmaker Kevin Miller believes the debate about the nature of hell is not academic.

Several months ago, I talked with a man on the phone who ended our conversation like this: “Bob, my giving for 2012 and 2013 is pretty much set in stone. But beginning in 2014 my wife and I want to take a closer look at funding a Christian film—in the neighborhood of a million, perhaps 2 million dollars. Let me know if you run across a film that really needs to get made.”

The buzz is continuing to build with Harbinger Media Partners debut release, Unconditional as opening weekend draws near on September 21st. Starring Golden Globe nominated actor Michael Ealy and Lynn Collins, the major motion picture film is already causing a chatter among critics in the industry.

Duda describes two of the goals behind the project: “We’re attempting to promote Christian truths through the themes, and we’re looking to break into the industry to actually make a difference.” The ultimate goal for himself and the crew is “to get into the filmmaking industry and tell Catholic and Christian truths in a way that’s marketable to everybody.”

Two recent movies filmed in Alabama may be the start of a Christian film industry centered in Birmingham. The movie “Grace Unplugged,” filmed mostly in Birmingham over the past month to take advantage of Alabama’s incentives for filming in the state, wrapped up production in Los Angeles this week.

Churches have long been preaching that Hollywood is undermining their values. Conservative religious parents take on an often onerous, quick-stepping job of keeping up on the latest releases of movies to determine if the messages in the films are supportive of their messages at home, and at a minimum, determining whether they pose a threat to the brands of faith to which they subscribe.

9/12/2012 – Athlete-actors hustle for the chance at a film role in ‘One Heart,’ based on a local football game

Yelling coaches and scrambling players hustled across Dragon Stadium in Southlake Tuesday morning. Through Wednesday, football players-turned-actors are auditioning for the chance to be on-screen football heroes in the upcoming movie One Heart. The film is based on the real life events that took place during the 2008 football game between Grapevine Faith Christian School, the team with the upper hand, and Gainesville State School, a maximum security juvenile facility.

9/11/2012 – New Film With Lisa Chan Explores ‘True Beauty’ the Way God Sees It

“I have seen the demands and expectations that our culture places on women pretty much are in direct opposition to what Scripture would tell us (the same is true for men),” Carr, executive director at Flannel and father of three daughters, told The Christian Post. “Our culture’s definition of beauty is impossible to achieve by most. However, if you buy the right products or get the right injections or have the right surgery, you can have a better life!”

Christian films such as the Left Behind series, Fireproof, and Facing the Giants don’t seem to attract much more than the audience who already agrees with their message. I watched christian produced films all through out my childhood. Hardly any of the movies taught me how to think. All they really tried to do was teach me what to think. The morals of their stories were obvious and often shallow. All of their stories make a big deal about the importance of “choosing Jesus”. It’s the answer to every problem. “With God on our side we can do anything”. The rest of the world is shown to be completely corrupt and evil. Most Christian films talk down to non-believers. They don’t take the time to understand the outside world and thus are not able to bring substance or give insight to the world’s problems.

The upcoming film The Resurrection and staff will be at the Pan Pacific Film Festival October 18th – 21st. The International Film Festival will be located in Los Angeles at the Westfield Santa Anita Mall at AMC, Dave & Busters and various locations within the mall. The Resurrection Project will present a promo at the festival and answer questions presented at the venue. The Resurrection Project has partnered with Pan Pacific Film Festival and will be attending the Red Carpet.

“Kingdomwood is a great opportunity to share my life’s purposes to be used of God to redeem the values of the media while educating audiences on how to use discernment in selecting their entertainment,” said Dr. Baehr.

McLeod, who is 26, is a star in two nationally distributed Christian films, “Fireproof” and “Facing the Giants,” both produced by Sherwood Baptist Church through its Sherwood Pictures label in Albany, Ga.

At the very end of the film, one of the leading male characters mentions his “boyfriend.” And Norman’s embarrassed Dad and worried Mom are similar to the kinds of themes that often show up in “coming out” stories these days. And, of course, there’s the theme of “fear” of the “other,” which many of our neighbors believe motivates a Christian sexual ethic. Perhaps all that’s coincidental, but I doubt it.

Take a look at these Christian movies to be released on DVD, TV, or on the big screen during 2013. Pick up the books, buy some as a gift for someone else, and mark your calendar for these upcoming Christian movies.

In the early 1970’s, Jones became a Christian and has appeared in several Christian films and productions as well. He also founded the Christian Rescue Committee in 1998. It’s an organization that helps provide a way of escape to Jews, Christians and others persecuted for their faith.

The award-winning and life-affirming motion picture October Baby, written, produced and directed by Jon and Andy Erwin, will be distributed to audiences this fall through Mission Pictures International (MPI) and Provident Films (http://providentfilms.org/). Provident Films’ Sr. Vice President, Ben Howard, and MPI’s co-founder Cindy Bond recently penned the deal and will be rolling out the project on September 11, 2012. National efforts will be spearheaded by Provident Films while international efforts will be driven by MPI. FOX home entertainment will distribute the DVD domestically in the general market.

Jenn Gotzon is a talented, hard-working actress who uses her Christian faith, along with the faith-based, family, and/or redemptive films she stars in as part of her ministry, Inspiring Audiences. This motivational program is a means to educate and encourage others to discover what they are most passionate about and to pursue it. By using lessons that her character learned during the course of the film, she provides a visual that the audience can easily relate to and utilize in their own lives.

Having done some research, apparently there was a cultural divide whereby I think the impact of talking motion pictures in the late 1920s and early 1930s and the standard violence of gang mob movies of the era got combined in the minds of the consumer with movies about divorce and infidelity.

It seems that everyone in Hollywood is either talking about Paramount’s upcoming 100th anniversary or giving out another award bearing the name of legendary director Cecil B. DeMille. Well get ready for the close-up because award-winning author and screenwriter Robert Hammond just released his latest novel entitled “C. B.

8/31/2012 – October Baby brings a different perspective to abortion debate

Although there are faith driven themes in the movie it does not dominate the film with writer Jon Erwin choosing instead to make Hannah’s struggles the primary focus of the film. The script is a little bit rough in some places but the lead actors often make you forget the shortcomings of the movie especially Burkey. His patience in the role is evident throughout the movie and he has you rooting for his character to confess his obvious attraction for Hannah.

8/30/2012 – Christians launch petition to stop production of “blasphemous jesus of nazareth” film

Conservative Christians are angry about a film to be directed by Paul Verhoeven, the Dutch director famous for his films “RoboCop,” “Total Recall” and “Basic Instinct,” called “jesus of nazareth.” The film is based on the book, jesus of nazareth, written by Verhoeven.

8/29/2012 – Unconditional Film Builds Partnerships With Over 150 Service Organizations

Unconditional, the new compelling drama from Harbinger Media Partners, is continuing to build momentum leading up to its September 21 theatrical release. The major motion picture, starring Golden Globe nominated actor Michael Ealy and Lynn Collins, has announced key partnerships with high-profile national non-profits such as Feed The Children, Arrow Child & Family Ministries, Here’s Life Inner City and more, in addition to more than 150 other local service organizations across the country.

“This film festival brings people who love watching movies to a film event that focuses on positive redemptive films while showcasing Liberty University’s new film school,” said Scotty Curlee, assistant professor of cinematic arts.

“What I find interesting about these films is that to the best of my knowledge, Christian filmmakers weren’t asked to participate in its creation. I also found it amazing that these large budget films about the Bible will make the extremely low budget Christian films released in the same years look silly. It makes me wonder why Christians aren’t creating epic films about the Bible instead.”

“Bill Nye was once beloved for being America’s brightest and most energetic “science guy.” However, the former children’s show host (“Bill Nye the Science Guy” aired from 1993 until 1998) is entering more contentious ground of late, as he recently jumped into the political realm to intensely support President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign.”

8/25/2012 – “People think I need to be guided and send me the Bible: Emma Watson”

“The Harry Potter star Emma Watson said while she was working in Harry Potter franchise fans sent her Bible for the guidance. “Finding our “Harry Potter” films un-Christian, people think I need to be guided and send me the Bible. I now have a collection of 20,” Watson quoted as saying.”

8/25/2012 – “7 Christian Movies I Think Could Work as a Comic or Graphic Novel”

“In light of the current popularity of the comics/graphic novels-movies relationship and my thoughts on what makes comics and graphic novels a unique medium, here are 7 Christian movies I think would benefit from being turned into a comic or graphic novel.”

“The good book is back in showbiz. Darren Aronofsky has a bearded Russell Crowe for Noah. The documentary Bible Quiz is in post-production. Will Smith’s directorial debut will be Cain and Abel (reportedly with a vampire twist). Paul Verhoeven’s Jesus of Nazareth has its finance in place. Justin Theroux is rewriting Swear to God – a comedy about a hedge-fund manager who has seen the Almighty. Ridley Scott, Warner Bros – with a rumour of Spielberg directing – and the Chernin Entertainment Company all have Moses movies. Mary Mother of Christ, a film about the life of Jesus up to age 12, is currently prepping, as is Langston Hughes’s Black Nativity, with a cast of Samuel L Jackson, Angela Bassett and Jennifer Hudson. And earlier this week, a Pontius Pilate movie was greenlit.”

“Alex has been an associate pastor for Sherwood Baptist Church since 1999. Upon reading a survey that stated films have become more influential than churches, Alex set out to change the perception of movies in mainstream America. He co-wrote (with brother, Stephen Kendrick), directed and acted in all four movies Sherwood Pictures has produced.”

“Why would a Hollywood beauty risk life and limb (not to mention some likely teasing) in search of what many people believe to be a myth? D’Errico said that she was inspired to search for Noah’s Ark ever since she was a child after seeing a movie about it. D’Errico told ABC News, “I know what I’m doing and I know that this is my lifelong dream and I believe in the Bible,” she said — referring to Genesis 8:4, which states “on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.”

“Warner Bros has acquired Pontius Pilate, a script by Woman On Top scribe Vera Blasi about one of the most vilified figures in history, even before Mick Jagger sang about him. It becomes the latest in a growing list of Biblical-themed projects taking shape at studios all over town. Mark Johnson will produce through his Gran Via banner, Lynn Harris is steering the project and they are already talking to directors. I got hold of a draft, and while it is always a challenge to mount a big budget period film, this one is strong enough to follow a fast track toward production.”

“If a low-budget, faith-based film, doesn’t appeal to the Christian market, in the vast majority of cases, it is not going to be financially successful. Christian retail chains like Family Christian, Lifeway and similar stores still define this market. This is a category driven by Christian women and mostly moms. As a result, there will always be certain types of films that will have greater appeal to this female skewed demographic and in almost every case will need to be considered “safe”.

“If the Monday blues have you feeling all “blah” and you’re looking for a good time that doesn’t involve anything too illegal, here’s something that fits the bill, and which will actually help out a good cause: at White Water Tavern, starting at 7 p.m. on this very evening, there will be a fundraiser to help out the local filmmakers who are behind “Rapture Us,” a forthcoming film about a young, highly devout Christian man who gets left behind when the rapture happens.”

For more than ten years Tyler Perry has been delighting audiences with the character of Madea in such plays and movies like, Madea’s Family Reunion, Madea Goes to Jail, and Madea’s Christmas. Monday, Perry released a statement on his website that he will be taking a “long break” from playing the stern but loving character.

Last week, I had a chance to interview Miller about his latest film, “Hellbound?” which is due out in theaters this fall. It focuses on the range of primary Christian perspectives of hell. Surprising to many Western Christians, there are actually a number of Christian theological representations of the concept of hell, although in our part of the world the one we hear most about is “eternal damnation.”

Jews and Christians have long hosted their own film festivals, and S. Brent Plate, a scholar of religion and film based at Hamilton College, said festivals have the potential to bolster a group’s members, reach out to potential followers and educate them about issues.

It won’t shock anyone to say that a great number of Christian movies, TV, books, websites, and more are pretty poor. And while there’s much improvement out there, we still have a long way to go. And it’s not just opinion. The truth is that starting a few hundred years ago, Christians walked away from the arts. As we discuss on the As1.org website, there was a time when we were actually patrons of the arts and hired the best and brightest artists in the world to tell our stories. But over the last few centuries, that changed – to the point that the last generation of Christian media professionals – especially those in broadcast media, weren’t creative artists at all – they were mostly preachers.

Hollywood always wants to produce movies that reach different audiences. They bound that to Christian brands,” he offers. “Sony last year lost $5.7 billion. They thought they were going to lose $5.2 billion, so it shocked Wall Street.

There’s a reason why the terms “Christian” and “filmmaker” don’t seem to go together. Pictures that push religious agendas tend to sacrifice complex plots and characters in favor of amplifying its message. These films fail not only as entertainment but as quality storytelling. Whenever an aspiring artist attempts to speak for a group rather than oneself, it’s almost always a recipe for tediously preachy dreck.

Marriage, in all its states, is such a universal topic that it’s been portrayed in countless films. But troubled marriages can provide showy performances and moments of uncomfortable truth. Here are five great examples:

The study, published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, said roughly 85 percent of movies released from 1950 to 2006 contained sexual content, and only 9 percent of sexual content in movies contained messages promoting sexual health. Sexual explicitness of PG-13-rated and R-rated movies has increased over the past decade, researchers also said. Evidence suggests that adolescents’ sexual attitudes and behavior are influenced more by movies than by other forms of media, the study said.

The story line includes a single mother (Houston) trying to raise her three daughters with biblical principles and values while they launch out on a musical career. Issues of moral compromise and career aspirations arise and cause conflict among the sisters and between the sisters and the mother.

With all the trash TV being marketed to the American public these days, it can be disheartening to Christians seeking quality programming for them and their families. Perhaps then, it will be good news to some to hear that Bob Johnson, founder of BET, is planning to launch a faith-friendly channel called “ALRIGHT TV,” in partnership with YouTube.

The Catholic Secular Forum (CSF) and a number of community NGOs such as Maharashtra Christian Youth Forum, Association of Concerned Catholics, Catholics for the Preservation of the Faith, etc. take strong exception to a priest being caricatured in the film “Kya Super Kool Hai Hum” by bollywood and shown in poor light.

It’s been a great disappointment to me to watch so called Christian family movies in recent years, which I can’t even watch with my children or permit them to see at a certain age. You know the one’s I speak of, those that show ‘Christians’ acting anything but, in their relationship with God and socially. This is bad and something needs to be done about these so called movies being past off as Christian mainstream.

8/03/2012 – Chevonne O’Sahugnessy: New ‘Love Finds You’ Film and Book Series Coming Soon

Chevonne O’Sahugnessy, the founder of Mission Pictures International, has embarked on a new mission to join Guideposts with her company in a combined book and film series entitled “Love Finds You.” O’Sahugnessy spoke with The Christian Post about the venture and what she hopes audiences will learn.

In the wake of the Aurora, Colorado shooting at the Batman film “The Dark Knight Rises” premier, director Christopher Nolan said, “I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting but that they were there last night to watch a movie. I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime. The movie theatre is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me.”

Bryce Neier has no illusions of being a movie mogul. But the Fayetteville lawyer does have a firm belief that his “small part” in helping a full-length film get off the ground will pay spiritual dividends for years to come.

DreamWorks Animation recently declared its purchase of Classic Media, a company of many classic cartoons and live-action features. DreamWorks paid $155 million for the purchase and is quite confident that the addition will add to its own repertoire.

Executive producer Mark Burnett of “Survivor,” ”The Voice” and “The Celebrity Apprentice” will deliver the biggest project of his TV career next year: “The Bible,” a 10-hour miniseries. His producing partner is his wife, “Touched by an Angel” star Roma Downey, who plays Mary, the mother of Jesus.

A dramatic new motion picture will open in 1,200 theaters across the nation this Fall, to coincide with the Sept. 11 commemoration of Patriot Day and to serve as a reminder that our freedom isn’t free — even here in the U.S. where all too often apathy leads to an erosion of our personal liberties.

Ted Baehr, publisher of Movieguide and chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission, argued that the content of the latest Batman movie cannot be blamed for the tragedy. But Baehr also noted that, although most viewers are either desensitized to or scared by movie violence, “more than 500,000 studies, capped by the latest Dartmouth University study, show that violence in the media influences susceptible youths to commit violence.”

For years, Hollywood dictated the moral compass of the nation, openly rejected religious films, and offered little family friendly value. This is nothing new. Christians have been attempting to penetrate Hollywood for as long as anyone can remember to no avail. But if you are one of the people that have been praying for the entertainment industry, your prayer is showing fruit. The Christians among the film industry are passionate to bring change to Hollywood and are coming together to reclaim it for Jesus Christ. Hence, came the birth of the Pan Pacific Film Festival.

In a time in our world where people are hurting, discouraged and depressed, we all need some type of encouragement to help us along the way. With crime rising and the economy in the shape that it’s in, this Christian film will be a breath of fresh air.

7/20/2012 – Will Removing Adult Movies From Hotels Help Win Battle Over Porn?

A campaign led by two religious scholars asking the hotel industry to remove porn movies from its rooms has the approval of some Christian leaders. However, many admit that choosing this particular battle against pornography may only be scratching the surface. Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/will-removing-adult-movies-from-hotels-help-win-battle-over-porn-78582/#ho1gjx1BilYWYLi0.99

I’m hoping for John Wayne and Elvis to also be there along with Abe Lincoln and Peter, Paul and Mary (the apostles and Jesus’ mother, not the singing group, although I hope to see them too). There’s, of course, another celeb I’m hoping for. I won’t mention his name as I don’t want to sound judgmental, but though an unabashed fan, I’ve read a lot about him that would suggest he did it too much his way.

What is it about these stories — and the Spider-Mantale in particular — that fascinate us? May I suggest that it has something to do with Christianity; more precisely, with the strange hybrid figure around which all of the Christian religion revolves.

The Kid With a Bike is a moral drama from Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardennes, Belgian filmmakers who regularly win awards at the annual Cannes Film Festival in France. Their films, like La Promesse and The Son, tell small-scale but intimate and moving stories. The Kid With a Bike is their most affecting film yet. That’s saying a lot, for while the filmmakers are often described as “humane” (and accurately so), they also were raised Catholic and suffuse their films with Christian ideas and specific Christian symbolism.

7/12/2012 – Will Smith Eyeing Cain And Abel Film As Directing Vehicle!

With Biblical epics the rage in Hollywood, here’s another. Will Smith is eyeing a film about battling brothers Cain and Abel as his directorial debut. The project is set at Sony in development and is being produced by Overbrook Entertainment.

For those fan-boys diligently following the every move of “Pi” maven Darren Aronofsky, the latest developments on his next film “Noah” — a retelling of the Biblical story of the man and his ship, starring Russell Crowe — may be old-ish news. But the web-chatter surrounding the project climbed again yesterday with a sneak peek at the production’s Ark–and an Aronofsky Tweet referencing Genesis 6:14.

“Our goal is to do excellent storytelling, not just Christian movies,” said Gearhart. “That’s what the Bible is. It’s a big screenplay, and God’s telling the story,” said Gearhart. “Sometimes it’s ugly. Sometimes it’s R-rated.”

We will look your info over and decide if we think it should be added to CFDb. If we add your film to CFDb we will let you know. This will then give your film really good search engine optimization to be found on Google.

United Protestant Church is combining movies with worship. Throughout the summer select movies will be shown, then Senior Pastor David Russell will discuss how the film relates to the contemporary Christian Life.

“Good God almighty, you won’t believe some of the things I have to deal with. You would think that by now I wouldn’t have to fight to release a movie… but I do,” Perry revealed. “Everything is a fight. By the time the movie comes out I’m so exhausted from the fight that it’s hard to unwind and take it all in.”

As I prepare to plunge into the perhaps treacherous waters of filmmaking, I have to pause from my scriptwriting activities to rebut a video I watched entitled What Makes Christian Film Bad. In considering the depth of this topic, I might need several installments to unveil all of my thoughts in this arena.

6/29/2012 – Finally, an Awards Show for Christian Movies: Resonate Film Festival Announced

The first-ever event will take place in Orlando, Fla. from July 15-July 18. It will shed light on top films in the faith market. Resonate will feature upcoming theatrical releases from major studios as well as new productions, and provide a look at aspiring filmmakers and their projects.

6/23/2012 – Top Faith Based Screenwriting Competition Beats Hollywood Record

More Hollywood producers and studios are flocking to the faith-based winners of the Annual $50,000 Kairos Prizes for Spiritually Uplifting Screenplays by Beginning and First-Time Screenwriters these days.

If you are to organically build up an audience for your film, one that will actually support your crowd funding campaign, or buy a DVD from you, or attend a screening of your film…. it has to be just that – an organic build.

The Sky’s Limit Productions has had its initial project in pre-production for the past few months, and on June 16, the recently completed “Teaser” based on the screenplay and novel of the “The Five-Day Crucifixion” was released on the Internet.

EchoLight Studios—a newly established producer and distributor of top quality faith-based and family films—has hit the ground running, announcing a slate of six films for release in 2012, a world premiere event in Hollywood and an aggressive plan to distribute its own productions starting next year.

6/20/2012 – What Are We to Make of LifeWay Pulling ‘The Blind Side’ From Shelves?

Now, however, LifeWay Christian Stores has pulled “The Blind Side” from its shelves. The reason: a Florida pastor plans to introduce a resolution at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting that “expresses dissatisfaction with ‘The Blind Side’ and any product that contains explicit profanity, God’s name in vain, and racial slur.”

Director/author Paul Verhoeven has announced he’s found the financial backing to produce a film on the Christian Messiah that will contend that Jesus was just a good politician, one born after his mother was raped by a Roman soldier, but a man most certainly not the Son of God.

6/16/2012 – Local church backs filmmaker’s goal of making Christian movie

Kevis Antonio, founder of Rising Faith Productions, is the creator behind the film currently titled, “Five Blocks Away.” He wrote the initial screenplay and plans to direct and produce a five-week production schedule in the early fall using members of St. Catherine.

Miller – whose previous work includes “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” with Ben Stein – is the writer and director of an upcoming documentary titled “Hellbound?” and in it he explores the many questions and the even greater number of beliefs people hold in regards to hell.

Houston megachurch pastor Joel Osteen has spoken out on the highly publicized criminal extortion case surrounding the upcoming “Mary, Mother of Christ” film, described by some as a prequel to Mel Gibson’s 2004 “The Passion of the Christ.”

This weekend marks the release of two star-studded films that affirm faith and religious liberty – movies an army of “theater captains” is hoping will change the face of not only Hollywood, but America itself.

5/31/2012 – Taking Jesus to the Movies: The Rise of Indie Christian Films

Increasingly, Christians are being given more options with the rise of indie Christian films. Though by no means on par with the budgets and reach potential of corporately-backed movies, make no mistake. Independent faith-based films are making a strong impact and will continue to do so as unrest with lack of, and demand for better entertainment options, grows within the Christian community.

It’s not like John Schneider is embarrassed about his run as the dashing, daring Bo Duke on the 1980s smash TV hit The Dukes of Hazzard. He remembers those days fondly, and appreciates the show’s loyal fans. He even gladly mugs for photos, flashing that warm smile when 40-something women—who idolized him as teens—approach him with their old Tiger Beat magazines, seeking an autograph and a hug.

Actor and devout Christian Kirk Cameron is being a bit mysterious in asking his fans to join an online community of like-minded people “who believe anything is possible if we love God and do the right thing over the long haul.”

A mainstream Christian writer friend of mine was telling me about the movie Courageous a few months ago. She made comments about its lacks in certain areas, but said it was a must-see. She said something as we talked that got me thinking…

Rice also delves into her religious background which has changed dramatically over the last several years as she’s explored her status as a Christian in public. She explains how she is extremely proud of the books she’s written on Jesus Christ as they “embody all the love” and faith she herself feels for Jesus, and she discusses briefly the upcoming adaptation of “Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt” which will be directed by Chris Columbus.

“We are very proud and excited to enter our third decade of honoring and celebrating the Good, the True, and the Beautiful,” Baehr said in a news release. He added, “It will be a special evening where we once again show that family- friendly movies with Christian, spiritually uplifting, biblical, patriotic, and traditional values and no foul language, sex, nudity, or graphic violence inspire viewers rather than offend them.”

Sony has also recently begun to distribute overtly Christian films, and films with faith based themes, through DVD releases after theatrical release or straight to DVD. Christian film audiences are growing and the demand for such films is increasing.

For family and child advocate Dr. Ted Baehr, founder and publisher of Movieguide®: The Family Guide to Movies and Entertainment, ABC/Disney’s cancellation of its “bigoted” show “GCB,” which mocked and ridiculed Christians, was a “victory for faith and values.”

On television, as the star of the popular Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Kevin Sorbo portrayed an invincible demigod. He relished living the part – putting in 14-hour days on the set, doing his own stunts, and relentlessly working out at the gym. Until one day it all came to an abrupt end.

DISH, a leading pay-TV provider, is offering more choice in family-friendly entertainment by adding G-Movies, the new faith friendly streaming movie service from GMC TV, to its on-demand programming lineup. Subscribers of DISH’s exclusive Heartland Package or Blockbuster @Home service can stream inspirational titles from G-Movies directly through their television or mobile devices.

5/13/2012 – Just How Religious Movies Are Making A Move In To Todays World.

The films from the early Christians commenced pretty much with movie theater, foremost through the relationship with Roman antiquity, the life span of Jesus, the general entertainment, and use of that passion to the theater applied catechetical formation.

The Hollywood entertainment industry has become increasingly aware of the growing market for faith-based films and entertainment, said movie producer DeVon Franklin at the Biola Media Conference at CBS Studios on Saturday.

5/4/2012 – Left Behind: “The most ambitious Christian movie of its time”.

Cloud Ten Pictures, a Christian film company in Ontario, Canada, called it the most ambitious Christian movie of its time. Between 2000 and 2005, the company poured roughly $12 million into three profitable Left Behind movies, which are based on the best-selling novels of the same name.

One of the most expensive movies ever produced in Mexico, it stars an international cast including Peter O’Toole (nominated for 8 Academy Awards) as the elderly priest Father Christopher, Andy Garcia as the leader of a rebel army and Ruben Blades, as Mexican President Plutarco Elias Calles.

As some of you may know, Chuck loved movies. He saw them as a wonderful way to communicate truth and the many characteristics of our loving and all-powerful God. By viewing and studying certain films, he believed we could be inspired to live better lives. I think he was right.

A Christian group has branded a new documentary film about a play that depicts Jesus as a gay man as “blasphemous” and wants producers to apologize to God, while the film makers say they’ve also been the target of hate mail and even bomb threats.

4/26/2012 – Meagan Good Talks Making Christian Movies, Her Fiance And God.

On the heels of starring in the number hit movie ‘Think Like A Man’ actress Meagan Good graces the cover of RollingOut Magazine. The newly engaged Good dishes on working with her fiance and speaking loudly about her faith.

4/26/2012 – Faith-Based Movie to be Filmed on Liberty University Campus.

Hollywood is coming to Lynchburg, Va. this summer as the faith-based film “Finding Faith” is set to begin filming locally thanks to a strong show of support from Liberty University and Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC).

Chuck Colson’s life as a political enforcer for Richard Nixon was the stuff of movies. Dubbed “Nixon’s Hatchet Man” by the Wall Street Journal, he was the first aide to be convicted in the Watergate Scandal. Colson, however, would have a “Born Again” experience, receiving Christ after a conversation in the office of Raytheon CEO Tom Phillips.

Actor and former U.S. senator Fred Thompson will be on the screen when the movie “Unlimited” hits theaters next year. His character is based on Harold L. Finch of Lee’s Summit, who at 78 is enjoying a new chapter in an already eventful life.

4/18/2012 – “Suing the Devil” Ranks in Top 12 Films on Walmart’s On Demand.

It’s official: “Suing the Devil” is catching the nation by storm. On Walmart’s official On Demand site (Vudu.com), ‘Suing the Devil’ ranked in the Top 12 films out of more than 15,000 movies in the ‘Top Picks’ category.

NASCAR driver Blake Koch sat just 28 points out of the top ten driver standings. Koch was forced to race with a blank car after losing his primary sponsor, all caused by controversy over his Christian faith and an ad on ESPN not being allowed to air.

This is the new world of trailers, in which the Internet and rabid fan culture have turned one- to three-minute ads, once seen only in theaters, into events promoted and analyzed as avidly as the films themselves.

“If the Bible had to be family-friendly, it would be a much shorter book.” Steve Taylor, (“Blue Like Jazz“), in his typical dry wit, highlights an important realism about the Word of God that perhaps many of us haven’t given adequate consideration. The Bible describes graphic sexual situations, violent brutality, and in the original languages, uses occasional colorful colloquialisms often sanitized in the transliteration process to most English language versions.

In a heartwarming story of destiny and redemption, actor Brian Presley has explained that his role in “Touchback” reflects moments of his actual life, and has described how the power of God is reflected throughout the movie.

“Christian without being preachy,” is how Louis Markos describes his desire for “The Lion Awakes“, an upcoming film based on the screenplay he co-wrote about the friendship between C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien and Lewis’s conversion to Christianity.

“BULLY” is a sometimes informative documentary about bullying in the public schools across the United States. BULLY is too episodic and contains politically correct homosexual references and strong foul language, so extreme caution is advised.

“Heaven’s Rain“, starring Brooks Douglass in his film debut, Mike Vogel and Taryn Manning, captures one of the most important stories of our time, in which violence is challenged by the resilience and courage of one man’s mission to find forgiveness, and to fight for victims’ rights.